Corn Country

Fairfield, IA -- Well, I've crossed the Mississippi. I'm not very far into Iowa, though. This morning I only rode about thirty miles before stopping for a snack here in Fairfield. I went to the Second Street Coffee House expecting a diner, but was served by a long-haired young man in a tie-dyed T-Shirt that reminded me more of Northampton than the Midwest. I got to talking to people and found out that the city is a center for the Transcendental Meditation movement, and home to the movement's university, the Maharishi University of Management. The movement's brought a lot of people into the area, apparently, and there's lots of art galleries and performances around. In the words of several people I met today, "it's a pretty happening place." I got to talking to people, and soon enough the owner of the coffee shop took me vegetable shopping with her then steamed me some fresh-picked Iowa corn. With that in my stomach, I explored the University's campus, went to the whole foods store, and spent some time at the town library looking at the paper and Iowa history books.

Aside from that delicious sweet corn, though, the town barely felt like it was connected to all the corn and soybeans I had been passing. Back on the eastern side of the Mississippi, though, I stayed with two wonderful cyclists who were also farmers. In addition to taking me to a family gathering and a triathlon, and showing me around the area, they showed me the farm equipment and told me a bit about farming and marketing corn and beans. The marketing is a bigger part than I had understood, and I'm glad I know a bit more about it all as I head through more farm country.

It's been really, really, really hot -- at the worst points, I've been making thirty miles on a gallon of water. It's raining now, though, and I'm hoping things will cool down for my ride out of Fairfield tomorrow.